Dear Editor: The inmates have taken over the asylum. The crowds protesting Israeli action aimed at stopping rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza are oblivious to the irony of their action, forgetting the V-2 rocket and buzz-bomb rocket barrage from Germany that battered London during World War II.

If England had the protection that Iron Dome is now providing Israel, it would have been spared thousands of civilian casualties and widespread damage to buildings from German rockets. Just as England bravely stood up to Hitler, Israel is resisting Hamas.

Yet Hamas continues to launch rockets at Israel, labeling its unprovoked attacks “resistance.” And its fight, Hamas says, is to end the Israeli “occupation,” even though Israel removed thousands of settlers and has not occupied Gaza for almost 10 years. This imaginative black-is-white language is reminiscent of George Orwell’s “1984,” in which the Ministry of Truth is really concerned with lies and the Ministry of Peace is devoted to war. The only truth is that Hamas is opposed to the very existence of a Jewish state and is waging war to seek its demise.

Arthur Liberman,

Palo Alto

Ball of confusion

Dear Editor: Now it’s Ebola from Africa and the ISIL extremists spreading chaos in Iraq. Seems almost like the planet is trying to shake off some of the excess humans who are running things into the ground. We can’t forget the cartoon characters of John McCain and Lindsey Graham demanding that we control the world’s affairs in a more manly manner (with some one else’s kids, of course). We also have the colonial wars by Israel’s right-wingers still trying to create that “Greater Israel” and the pushback from the natives opposed to being kicked out. Don’t forget Ukraine and Syria. We have global climate change creating yet more pressure on us to get along on less land, food and water, and you have today’s state of affairs. Looks like life on the space station is far more peaceful than it is down here.

Mike Caggiano,

San Mateo

Mixed messages

Dear Editor: Jagjit Singh (Letters, Aug. 9) attacks the U.S. government for trying to help Iraqis being cruelly driven out of their homes and killed by Muslim extremists. He attacks Israelis, who are fighting to stop the terrorist group Hamas’ rockets and attack tunnels. In one case he is against helping victims of aggression, and in the other case he is against those fighting aggression. And he talks about hypocrisy. He is the perfect example of a hypocrite. What does he want?

In closed door talks, Sen. Dianne Feinstein agreed to a major new water policy for California that sells out the Delta and guts Endangered Species Act protections. Sen. Barbara Boxer is fighting the good fight to remove the rider from her comprehensive water infrastructure bill, but it may take a presidential veto.